Altitude growing

[Nikki]

Hey folks,

Does anyone have a website or book, that mentions what altitudes stuff can grow?

Although where we're off to is mediterranean, it's mountainous. Up the mountains the growing conditions are different enough where we just discovered olive trees and grapes won't grow. Whereas below they do marvelously.

So now I'm wondering about everything, but especially longer growing, over-wintering, stuff like trees. The summers are long so usual veg should be fine.

[Clara]

Do you know roughly what altitude and minimum winter temperatures?

We are at 1000m in the south of spain, we can grow olives, almonds but not citrus, that can grow at 700m.

Your main consideration is the minimum temperature, consider this when looking what to plant. You could always get a polytunnel or greenhouse to help you start things earlier.

As I know people between 600 and 1600 metres it is always interesting to see how that affects WHEN (not usually if) crops are ready.

I don´t have any books other than the ones I bought from the UK, the information is still relevant. The most important thing I have found is to watch and listen to your neighbours.

Clara x.

[Nikki]

Hi Clara,

There are none - neighbours that is!!

The land my DH just viewed is around 1000-1200m. Unsure on exact altitude. No idea about water temp.
The previous owner showing him the land said olives and grapes can't grow, too cold in winter I think.

So it's only partially to do with altitude, more about temperature really. So if olives won't grow, will apples, pears, etc?

[Nikki]

I was thinking about books that included high altitude/cold temp farming.

off topic - just being nosy.... been meaning to ask, do you speak Spanish?

[burek]

hi again Nikki!
You seem to be heading for roughly the same altitude as us (so many coincidences! ). What do you want to grow? Apple, pear, and plum trees do very well up here. Some people grow grapes down in the nearest town but they are far more sheltered and they only grow small quantities. Definitely no olives. One of our friends has a nectarine tree but again, they are more sheltered in a valley. Apparently this area is excellent for strawberries and raspberries too but don't know how altitude and temperature related that fact is. Don't know of any books - wish there was one - but like Clara says it is always useful to talk to people near-by (it's an excuse to drop by for a kafa anyway!).
Replying to your email later after work, btw. MIL just arrived today for a short visit, so been busy!
M

[Nikki]

Hi again!

That's hopeful to hear that apples and pears do okay where olives won't.
Really difficult when people have moved away the areas we're looking at, to the towns for jobs. Will just have scour the mountains to locate some villagers in similar altitudes.

[Clara]

No, I don´t have neighbours in the UK sense either, just mean other people in the area who live at roughly the same altitude.

I was referring to WINTER temperature, not WATER temperature - hope I didn´t make a spelling mistake.

Clara x.

[Clara]

If it helps we have....

almonds, walnuts, olives, figs, apples, pears, mulberries, plums, quince loquat and nectarine. Our nearest neighbours up about 50 - 100m, have created a very sheltered paradise and even have a fruiting banana plant.

There are lots of raspberry farms round here at higher altitudes still.

We have both raspberries and strawberries.

Try to find out when your last (usual) frost is, though we got caught out in March with -5 - killed the tops of the spuds, but then we should have listened to our neighbours.

Clara x.

[burek]

oh yes (thanks for reminding me Clara) - walnuts do very well at this altitude too. Planted one this spring and it is doing wonderfully - sooo proud if it!

[Clara]

We have 34 mature trees - walnuts are very high yielding, not sure what we´re gonna do with them all, perhaps a bit of barter.

[Clara]

I was thinking about books that included high altitude/cold temp farming.

off topic - just being nosy.... been meaning to ask, do you speak Spanish?

¡Hablo español pero tengo que estudiar mas!

I can understand and make myself understood and make a joke. The accent here is very thick, S is not pronounced,for instance. When i meet someone and they ask ¿Habla(s) e(s)pañol? i always reply "no, yo hablo alpujarreño" - always gets a smile

It is very difficult here because we have quite the international community, like your area, many locals our age can´t wait to leave for the city, so many times you find that in a room of english, german, danish, french, spanish etc... there are two common languages spanish and english, normally northern europeans arrive with good english and so are better able to communicate like that.

My ignorance is shocking but what do they speak in Montenegro? Serbian? - or was that the other side

Clara x.

[Nikki]

Oops, yes, you said winter, I read water. lol

Ok, that list of trees does help. Thanks a bunch.
What are your winter temps? I don't think it gets very cold there at all. I know the average temps, but because of the mountains I don't know what the difference is up higher. All the info we got was- olives and grapes don't grow here.

I don't think I'm too concerned over ordinary veg crops as the summers are long and hot. Mostly trees. I really would love fruit trees. Your variety sounds wonderful Clara.

I mean there are no neighbours as in there are literally no people. Entire villages are deserted. The closest people are down the coast, at sea level. So we'll have to travel round and find friendly farmers at similar altitudes.

Off topic:
I asked about speaking Spanish because I speak it (not very well, but understand it perfectly). Was born in S. America, although grew up in Australia. My ancestors are from southern Spain.

Montenegrins speak a mix of Croatian and Serbian, with the Croatian 'j preference. They also have regional vocabulary, not enough to be strictly dialects as far as I know. Now that they've split from Serbia, they'll probably end up calling it Montenegrin.

[catalyst]

clara,
its much the same here, a very international community - i love it.
i've found the best way is always to learn from the old people that have lived here their whole life, then kinda mix it with our own ideas, experimenting to find new ideas that work.
we're only 350 metres above sea, and can grow almost everything....

[Clara]

We got -5 for a few nights - in march completely shafted our spuds, but they came back.

I´m a bit surprised you can´t grow olives or grapes - perhaps that is to do with early first frost?

Clara x.